Some scholars speculate that Mount Karkom, located in Israel’s Negev Desert, is the biblical Mount Sinai. Others hold that the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments is in Egypt’s Sinai Desert. Regardless, Har Karkom, as it is known in Hebrew, is an ancient site, with petroglyphs and dozens of altars dating to the third millennium BCE. A 12-stone altar could correspond to the one Moses built with 12 pillars, one for each of the tribes of Israel.
Israel’s coastline along the Mediterranean Sea stretches ~190 kilometers from Lebanon to Gaza. Steep cliffs stand along 20-25% of the shore. Deep-water ports are located at Haifa and Ashdod. “The Great Sea” (HaYam HaGadol) is the most common biblical term for the Mediterranean, with references in the books of Bemidbar (Numbers), Joshua, and Ezekiel.
Although there are many holy places in the Land of Israel, Judaism’s four holy cities stand out. Jerusalem, the eternal spiritual center of the Jewish people. Hebron, where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca and Leah are buried. It was also King David’s first capital. Safed (Tzfat), a center of Jewish mystical scholarship (Kabbalah). Tiberias, where sages compiled the Jerusalem Talmud and where many great rabbis are buried.
The Eurasian Hoopoe, with its remarkable “crown” of black-tipped feathers, became Israel’s national bird in 2008 in honor of the 60th anniversary of the state. Some 155,000 citizens – from kindergartners to diplomats – participated in the selection process. Known as the “duchifat” in Hebrew, the hoopoe is mentioned in the Bible as being a non-kosher bird.
Israel has nine World Heritage Sites: Bahá’i Holy Places (Haifa and the Galilee), Biblical Tels (Megiddo, Hazor, Be’er Sheva), Incense Route (Negev), Masada, Old City of Acre, White City of Tel Aviv, Sites of Human Evolution (Mount Carmel), Caves of Maresha and Beit Guvrin (Judean Lowlands), and the Necropolis of Beit She’arim. Another 16 sites have been suggested for inclusion.
The “Ingathering of the Exiles” (Kibbutz Galuyot) has seen Jews from more than 90 countries return to their indigenous homeland – the Land of Israel, where the biblical Abraham and Sarah are buried in Hebron. Genesis 23 tells how Ephron offered the land for free, but Abraham paid publicly for the land, cave and trees at Machpelah.
Measuring 20,770 square kilometers, Israel is roughly half the size of Lake Michigan. The land mass of the world’s sole Jewish state is approximately 0.165% of the total land area of the 22 nations in the Arab League.
The lowest point on Earth is the Dead Sea, which forms part of the officially designated border between Israel and Jordan. The surface of the water is approximately 437 meters (1,434 feet) below sea level. Although not the largest, the Dead Sea is the world’s deepest hypersaline lake – 9.6 times saltier than the ocean.
The Israel National Trail – one of National Geographic’s 20 most “epic trails” – crisscrosses the country from Mt. Hermon to the Red Sea, through rural, remote, ancient, and modern locations. The trail marker’s stripes (orange, blue and white) represent the range of terrain covered: desert, seascape, and mountain. Virtual hikers can experience the 1,040-km trail on Google Street View.
